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• LeBron will retire when time is right after latest piece of history

  LeBron James accepts he may only have a maximum of two more years left in him before calling time on his glittering NBA career.

  The 39-year-old, playing in his 22nd NBA campaign, helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

  James finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists and one steal as the Lakers improved to 7-4 across their first 11 games, making it three wins on the bounce since their defeat to the Grizzlies last week. 

  With his latest dazzling display, he became the oldest player to record three straight triple-doubles at 39 years and 319 years old.

  That surpassed his own record of 34 years and 310 days, but James knows he will not be able to continue at an elite level forever.

  "I'm not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest," he told reporters. 

  "I don't know how many years that is, whether it's one year or two years." 

  "I'm not playing until the wheels fall off. I'm not going to be the guy that's disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor." 

  Proving that age is just a number, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game this season.

  Further probed on what will determine when he calls time on his playing career, the 20-time NBA All-Star said: "It's not me.

  "It's wherever my mind is, it's however my body's going to go. Whatever the case may be." 

  The Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference and return to action in the NBA Cup against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.

• Giannis tried to be 'a leader' in 59-point game against Pistons

  Giannis Antekounmpo says he realized as a leader, he had to adapt his mindset against the Detroit Pistons, leading to his 59-point game.

  The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Pistons 127-120 in overtime on Wednesday, with Antetokounmpo the driving force as they bounced back from their last NBA defeat to the Boston Celtics.

  His total was five back on his career-high points total in a single game, but was his ninth 50-point, 10-rebound game in his career, which puts him third on the NBA all-time list.

  Antetokounmpo made 21 of 34 shots from the field and 16 of 17 free throws, while he also had 14 rebounds and seven assists.

  He was one of three players alongside Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns to score at least 45 points on Wednesday, which is a tie for the most on a single day in NBA history.

  "Coming into this game, I realized I have to be aggressive," Antetokounmpo said. "While I was doing that, it was not working. We were down by 15, 18.

  "In the second half, I had to keep my aggressiveness but keep on moving the ball. Now, as a leader, you keep on going with that energy and mentality. Sometimes you've got to be able to do both."

  Antetokounmpo had scored 22 of his team's first 24 points in the first quarter, with Bucks coach Doc Rivers unsure whether his point-scoring dominance was a good thing or not.

  "It's funny how a coach thinks, though. We called a timeout and Giannis has 22 of our 24," said Rivers.

  "This ain't good. I'm thinking the exact opposite. We've got to get somebody else involved in this.

  "After the game, you realize how special this is. But during the game you're in a panic," he said.

• Wembanyama proud after hitting career highs in big Spurs win

  Victor Wembanyama is proud after scoring career-highs with 50 points and eight 3-pointers, but says his main focus is to keep helping the San Antonio Spurs improve.

  The Spurs registered a 139-130 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, with the Frenchman leading the charge as they improved their home record to 5-2.

  At 20 years and 314 days, Wembanyama is the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points, behind only Brandon Jennings, LeBron James and Devin Booker.

  His previous best was 40 points in an overtime victory over the New York Knicks on March 29.

  Having become the eighth player in franchise history to score 50 points and making at least six 3-pointers for the third straight game, Wembanyama is in strong form so early in the season.

  Though he likes to celebrate the milestones, he is already considering how he can overshadow them in the future.

  "I love to celebrate the small wins and the big wins for a certain amount of time," he said. "But we're already locked in on the Lakers.

  "I'm going to give myself a little bit of time to reflect. It's definitely a big milestone. It's kind of a private club, it's certainly something I'm proud of.

  "My first thought is, eventually, I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games, to overshadow this one. I want to make it where in the future, [this is] just another one."

  Wembanyama was influential throughout his time on the court but inflicted the most damage in the third quarter. He shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from long range for 19 points with four rebounds, one assist and a block.

  "The big fella, man, when he comes out with that mindset, it's a hard opportunity to deal with," Spurs forward Julian Champagnie said of his team-mate.

  "Big praise to him, big shoutout to him. He's working on his game. I don't know what it was that he took personal, but he took something personal, went out there and hooped."